Grants offered to groups serving rural areas

Federal grant money is being offered to Hawaii nonprofit organizations, public agencies and federally recognized tribal groups for initiatives that serve rural areas.

The local Rural Development office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for its Rural Business Development Grant Program, which can help with business plans, education or job-training programs, marketing and feasibility studies, equipment purchases and creating revolving loan funds.

Last fiscal year the program awarded $165,000 to five organizations in Hawaii and the Western Pacific.

The deadline for applications is May 31. For more information and to apply, visit rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-business-development-grants.

Isle gift firm expands warehouse, adds jobs

A local company that distributes tourist gift items, University of Hawaii-branded merchandise and other products plans to expand at Mililani Tech Park and hire 50 employees over the next two years.

The Islander Group said it has outgrown its 50,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center at the light industrial park and has a deal for real estate, investment and development firm Tradewind Capital Group to develop a bigger one in the same complex on 7 acres recently bought by Tradewind.

Construction is expected to start later this year. Islander Group plans to sell or lease its current building after it moves.

Boeing to dismiss hundreds of engineers

Boeing Co. plans to lay off hundreds of engineers in Washington state and other locations — and might eliminate more jobs later this year as the planemaker contends with slowing aircraft sales.

The manufacturer plans to hand out pink slips Friday, the same day that 305 engineers and technical workers will leave voluntarily under an earlier buyout offer. Boeing has pared 1,332 of the jobs from its Seattle-area manufacturing center since the start of 2016, according to SPEEA, the union representing the workers.

Boeing might make additional engineering cuts depending on “our business environment and the amount of voluntary attrition,” John Hamilton, vice president of engineering for the commercial airplanes unit, said in a letter to employees Monday. The dismissals are needed to “meet our operating plan and additional challenges in the marketplace.”